A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

Title: A Far Wilder Magic

Author: Allison Saft

Publisher: Wednesday Books 2022

Genre:YA Fantasy

Pages: 384

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist.

Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist—yet. He's been fired from every apprenticeship he's landed, and his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret. She begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.

Although they make an unlikely team, they soon find themselves drawn to each other. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt—if they survive that long.

CWs: antisemitism, animal injury, animal death, gore, parental neglect, panic attacks

Overall, this book was not for me. We get a YA fantasy set in a fictional world but with parallels to the religious divides in our own world. All through the book I was confused as to why were were coding the different groups with fictionalized words and practices instead of just making a direct comparison. It seemed like a very odd construct and also a way to confuse the readers. We are meant to take away a message, but if you don’t really know details about the Jewish/Catholic/Protestant divide, it would really be hard to piece out. As for the romance of the story, we wasn’t super into Weston and Margaret. I really enjoyed what we see of Weston, but Margaret was too closed off and angry for me to really connect with you. I loved the elements directly involving the hala, but those could not completely save this book for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #10

Reading: Deep into The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton. I loved the first in this series and this one is just as delightful. I love it!

Watching: We finally started Obi-Wan Kenobi and it just very good. I love the character of Third Sister.

Listening: Still rocking the giant shuffle of all the songs in my Apple Music account.

Making: I’ve made two batches of gazpacho so far this month. I may just have to make this every week or two weeks. It’s that good!

Feeling: After a few crazy busy weeks, things have calmed down a lot lately. I’m feeling a little calmer lately.

Planning: We’re getting so close to the retreat which means that I’m to the point of planning the games. We are doing a matching game and a pub-style trivia.

Loving: We’ve been spending less time inside and more time outside which is always great. Even better, most of the days have been spent with friends. Love it!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W34: That Summer Feeling Has Hit

What We Studied

Memorial Day has passed and we are in high summer mode here. The temperatures have been cooperating and so we have spent a ton of time outside. We racked up a decent number of hours playing outside and exploring nature. The friends that we have made through coop have played right alongside us. We are definitely taking it easy with regards to book work. And July will be our month off for the most part.

Literature and Poetry

We started the last Chronicles of Narnia book with a a good reading guide I found online.

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Math

Another week of math games, puzzles, and review. We finished both our logic book and The School of Numbers this week. One a related project, the boys help me make gazpacho. They practiced reading a recipe and measuring ingredients.

Logic Countdown
The School of Numbers

Social Studies

As we have finished our history curriculum, Arthur did finish a few geography scavenger hunt. He has gotten really into exploring Google Earth. Arthur also started a simple packet introducing economics.

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

Nothing specific this week

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included.

ELA

Eric Carle’s Dragons Dragons
Eric Carle’s Book of Many Things
Wonderful You with The Grouchy Ladybuy
The Saggy Baggy Elephant by Tennant Redbank
High Five April 2021
High Five May 2021

Math

Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

Tinkeractive PreK Science

Field Trip

Along with a park playdate and splash pad time, we explored Fontenelle Forest and the connected Raptor Rescue. Spending five hours out in nature was just what we needed on Wednesday.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies.

Misc. Picture Books Read

High

Fontenelle Forest was an amazing day spent in nature.

Low

Thursday was just a bit of cluster when it came to attitudes from the kids. We had to have a bit of a readjustment.

Next Week

Spending multiple days outside at parks and a zoo visit
Finishing The Last Battle
Watching a documentary or two
Continuing on independent and review packets

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Bishop Briggs "High Water"

I also love her new music and this particular song is great.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #18

As I look outside my window: it’s bright and sunny this morning, but I know that the rains are going to roll in later

Right now I am: Taking a moment to read my book before we head out to the coop’s first book club meeting.

On my bedside table: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens; The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

On my tv this week: J and I started Obi-Wan Kenobi and continued watching S2 of The Great.

Listening to: Mostly just a big shuffle of all the songs in my Apple Music/

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Pizza Sliders
Tuesday - Chicken Shawarma Fries
Wednesday - Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowls
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Saturday - Artichoke Pasta
Sunday - Chicken Pad Thai Nachos

On my to do list: While there are many things on my big list, I’m spending most of this week finalizing the retreat details.

Happening this week:

Monday - Bellevue Berry Farm strawberry picking
Tuesday - Home day; Library author zoom
Wednesday - Zoo Day
Thursday - Park playdate
Friday - Home day
Saturday - Home day; D&D
Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: Beyond the retreat tasks, I’m not creating much of anything. I’m really hoping to get my Memory Planner pages started before leaving for the retreat.

My simple pleasures: Iced coffee, good puzzles, amazing books

Looking around the house: Meh. It’s not amazing, but not terrible right now.

From the camera: We took some time this weekend to puzzle. We finished this one and started another one.

Displacement by Kiku Hughes

Title: Displacement

Author: Kiku Hughes

Publisher: First Second 2020

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 283

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Kiku is on vacation in San Francisco when suddenly she finds herself displaced to the 1940s Japanese-American internment camp that her late grandmother, Ernestina, was forcibly relocated to during World War II.

These displacements keep occurring until Kiku finds herself "stuck" back in time. Living alongside her young grandmother and other Japanese-American citizens in internment camps, Kiku gets the education she never received in history class. She witnesses the lives of Japanese-Americans who were denied their civil liberties and suffered greatly, but managed to cultivate community and commit acts of resistance in order to survive.

Our June book club selection and a completely new-to-me book. This graphic novel details the experiences of Americans during the Japanese interment of WWII. While I knew a decent amount of the specifics, this slim book conveys a lot of information in a gentle, concise way. We follow a modern girl as she experiences what her grandmother did in WWII. The treatment of the people is brutal, but the book doesn’t dwell on the gore. There are very emotional scenes between characters. I imagine that we are going to have a lot of interesting discussions And I’m definitely put this one onto my homeschool TBR for future years.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Unsinkable Great James by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: The Unsinkable Greta James

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2022

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 320

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Right after the sudden death of her mother—her first and most devoted fan—and just before the launch of her high-stakes sophomore album, Greta James falls apart on stage. The footage quickly goes viral and she stops playing, her career suddenly in jeopardy—the kind of jeopardy her father, Conrad, has always predicted; the kind he warned her about when he urged her to make more practical choices with her life.

Months later, Greta—still heartbroken and very much adrift—reluctantly agrees to accompany Conrad on the Alaskan cruise her parents had booked to celebrate their fortieth anniversary. It could be their last chance to heal old wounds in the wake of shared loss. But the trip will also prove to be a voyage of discovery for them both, and for Ben Wilder, a charming historian, onboard to lecture about The Call of the Wild, who is struggling with a major upheaval in his own life. As Greta works to build back her confidence and Ben confronts an uncertain future, they find themselves drawn to and relying on each other.

It’s here in this unlikeliest of places—at sea, far from the packed city venues where she usually plays and surrounded by the stunning scenery of Alaska—Greta will finally confront the choices she’s made, the heartbreak she’s suffered, and the family hurts that run deep. In the end, she’ll have to decide what her path forward might look like—and how to find her voice again.

I liked the premise of this one and was intrigued by the story. I was hoping for a good finding yourself and reconnecting with family storyline. But this one just fl a little flat for me. We spent way too much time with the possible romance angle and not enough time with the father. The setting of the cruise ship is a great way to force characters together and we get some interesting situations, but the follow-through left me wanting more. I closed the book and didn’t really care what was going to happen next to any of the characters. Not a great sign in my book. Definitely not the one for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Feels Like Summer Videos

I absolutely cannot wait for the new season of The Umbrella Academy! I love this super weird show.

Because we started watching Obi-Wan Kenobi this week…

I always enjoy these fashion videos.

I cannot wait for this installment of Thor’s story.

This movie looks very strange and right up my alley…

Captured by Linsey Hall

Title: Captured (The Shadow Guild: Hades and Persephone #3)

Author: Linsey Hall

Publisher: Bonnie Doon Press 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 192

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

The god of hell wants me to be his queen.

I’ve screwed up. Big time. A day ago, I mistakenly released the evil Titan Chronos onto the Earth. He’s spreading devastation in his pursuit of ultimate power, and it’s all my fault.

The only way to stop him is to fulfil an ancient prophecy and unite with Hades. Problem is, Hades plans to rule in Chronos’ place, spreading the underworld to earth. He wants me to rule by his side, a dark queen to his dark king.

As much as I want Hades—I might even be growing to love him—I can’t be part of something so terrible. Underneath Hades’ dark exterior, I know there is goodness inside. My only hope is to convince him to turn to the light, because I’m afraid I can't live without him.

And we arrive at the end of this particular story. While I enjoyed most of the storyline, it did seem a bit rushed at time. I wanted to spend a bit more time working out how Hades and Seraphia have connected to each other throughout this story. There were elements of emotional connection, but a bit more would have been better. I did enjoy seeing the rest of the Shadow Guild come together to help them defeat Chronos.

The Shadow Guild: Hades and Persephone

Next up on the TBR pile:

May 2022 Wrap

May TBR Pile (21/27):

BOTM: TBD
Bookworms BC: The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan ✓
Friend BC: Thick and Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom ✓
Currently Reading Buddy Read:
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
Fantasy: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor
Historical Fiction: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn ✓
Science Fiction: The Disasters by MK England ✓
Poetry: What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer ✓
Middle Grade: A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus ✓
Middle Grade: The Minor Third by Neil Patrick Harris
Middle Grade: The Fourth Suit by Neil Patrick Harris
Middle Grade; The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley ✓
Kid Read Aloud: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis ✓
Kid Read Aloud: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein ✓
Added: Anatomy by Dana Schwartz ✓
Added: Infernal by Linsey Hall ✓
Added: The Kaiju Preservation Society by Jon Scalzi ✓
Added: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton ✓
Added: Stuck with You by Ali Hazelwood ✓
Added: Under On Roof by Ali Hazelwood ✓
Added: Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood ✓
Added: The No-Show by Beth O’Leary ✓
Added: Lore Olympus Vol. 1 by Rachel Smythe ✓
Added: The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier ✓
Added: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera ✓
Added: Awakened by Linsey Hall ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 6163 pages
Pages Remaining: 406,383 pages

Current Read - The Unsinkable Great James by Jennifer E. Smith; Captured by Linsey Hall

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (4)

Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
Darling Girl by Liz Michalski
The Hacienda by Isabel Canas
Book of Night by Holly Black

UnRead Shelf Progress

Starting Number: 327
Books Read: 1
Books Acquired: 4
Books Unshelved: 0
Finishing Number: 330

June TBR Pile:

BOTM: TBD
Bookworms BC: Displacement by Kiku Hughes
Friend BC: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
Friend BC: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Currently Reading Buddy Read: When Women were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
Fantasy: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor
Fantasy: The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
Fantasy: A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft
Nonfiction: What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon
Romance: A League of Gentlewoman Witches by India Holton
Romance: Neon Gods by Kate Robert (reread)
Romance; Captured by Linsey Hall
Historical Fiction: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
Literary Fiction: The Unsinkable Great James by Jennifer E. Smith
Literary Fiction: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Comics: Invisible Kingdom
Science Fiction: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Middle Grade: The Minor Third by Neil Patrick Harris
Middle Grade: The Fourth Suit by Neil Patrick Harris
Kid Read Aloud: The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Movies watched

Rocketman - I really enjoyed this biopic.
Operation Mincemeat - Such a great drama about the WWII spy mission.

TV Shows watched

Moon Knight S1 - I really enjoy the weird side of Marvel
Holey Moley S4 - Our fun silly show
Star Trek: Voyager S4 - Slowly slowly making our way through
The Great S2 - Getting back into this season. Such a joy.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht - Still my silly reality show pic
Love Life S1 - I’ve really fallen for this show. Almost finished with S1.
Sex Education S1 - Randomly started watching while J was as a movie. Really enjoying it so far.

Comments - Wow! That page count is ridiculously high for me. I ended up reading some really enjoyable books this month. I don’t imagine that June will have as high numbers as May, but’s okay. I’m looking forward to many of the reads on tap. And I have the retreat to focus on reading for a weekend.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W33: Road Trip Madness!

What We Studied

After only one day of school for the week, we prepped to leave on a 5-day road trip to Kansas. After getting back on Sunday, we were supposed to have a normal school week. It didn’t quite work out that way. We got some school work in, but also spent two days at the park (coop field day and a regular park day), plus errands and unpacking. Good thing we have already finished our history, math, and science curriculum for the year. We’re slowing down a bit, making plans for next year, and enjoying lots of time with friends.

Day 1: Former airfield where atomic bomb pilots trained

Literature and Poetry

We finished our current read aloud and started the next one. Arthur continued with his spelling curriculum and we read a ton of picture books and such.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Math

Another week of math games, puzzles, and review

Logic Countdown
The School of Numbers

Social Studies

Arthur did some map work and a few scavenger hunts. He really got into playing around on Google Earth and finding different places. I love when a small assignment leads to more independent research and fun. He even spotted a good restaurant in Wichita for us that wasn’t on my list. We had dinner there and it was great (Wichita Pizza and Brewing Company, if you wanted to know).

Informally we learned a lot from the various museums and attractions that we saw in Kansas. I loved learning more about the Cosmonaut program in the 1950s and 1960s from the exhibits the Cosmosphere. Arthur really got into the exhibits at the World of Treasures Museum.

Arthur Independent Time

Day 2: Liberty Bell 7 at the Cosmosphere

Science and STEAM Coop

Nothing formal but we did go to a lot of science-related spots on our road trip. We learned a ton about salt and mining at Strataca in Hutchinson.

Day 2: Keeper of the Plain Statue in Wichita

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

ELA

Eric Carle's Animals Animals
Eric Carle’s Dragons Dragons
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
Hugs & Kisses for The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
Pancakes, Pancakes by Eric Carle
Do You Want to be My Friend? by Eric Carle
Today is Monday by Eric Carle
Eric Carle and Friends: What's Your Favorite Bug?
A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
The Greedy Python by Eric Carle
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Happy Halloween from the Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Eric Carle and Friends: What's Your Favorite Animal?
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?
Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?

Math

Lollipop Logic Book 1
Tinkeractive PreK Math

Other

Crayola Our Colorful Earth: Celebrating the Natural Work
Tinkeractive PreK Science
Ten Pigs by Derek Anderson

Field Trip

There wasn’t a field trip this week.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We watched a great NOVA episode about searching for Life on Mars. It detailed the various Mars rovers and focused heavily on the Perseverance mission.

Day 4: Great Plains Transportation Museum

Misc. Picture Books Read

The Fantastic Fishsitter by Mo O’Hara

High

Kansas Road Trip! What started as a weekend trip to Hutchinson to see the Cosmosphere turned into a 5 day trip to Hutchinson and Wichita filled with many stops. One of my favorites was getting a private tour of the Great Plains Transportation Museum from a former rail worker. Bob gave us so much more information than was listed on the signs and handouts.

Low

The transition back home after road trip is always a bit rough. We ended up with a lighter school week than I intended.

Next Week

Continuing our read aloud
Playing some math games
Watching a documentary or two
Making a craft?
Exploring outside with friends.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Lizzo "About Damn Time"

Perfect dance tune for this spring!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Disasters by M.K. England

Title: The Disasters

Author: M.K. England

Publisher: HarperCollins 2018

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Hotshot pilot Nax Hall has a history of making poor life choices. So it’s not exactly a surprise when he’s kicked out of the elite Ellis Station Academy in less than twenty-four hours. But Nax’s one-way trip back to Earth is cut short when a terrorist group attacks the Academy.

Nax and three other washouts escape—barely—but they’re also the sole witnesses to the biggest crime in the history of space colonization. And the perfect scapegoats.

On the run, Nax and his fellow failures plan to pull off a dangerous heist to spread the truth. Because they may not be “Academy material,” and they may not even get along, but they’re the only ones left to step up and fight.

This was a delightful romp! We are thrown right into the action and it doesn’t let up until the last page. I loved falling in with Nax, Case, Zee, Asra, and Rion as they attempt to survive being fugitives as help to stop of the galaxy-wise plot of the Earth First group. The pages kept moving as we slowly get to know each of the members of the crew. I would have like a bit more information about the other members of the crew, but we do get a decent amount from Nax. I also appreciated how real the teens were portrayed. Each are becoming experts in different fields but still have insecurities and make mistakes. They are not perfect, but are constantly trying. I would have loved to read more about the adventures of the crew of the Swift Kick. Maybe soon.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #17

As I look outside my window: It’s oddly overcast but very hot today. Not fun at all.

Right now I am: Taking a break after running some errands and cleaning.

On my bedside table: Book Lovers by Emily Henry: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

On my tv this week: Not much. We haven’t down much TV this past week. We did start Hawkeye with the kids, but I haven’t watched much at all.

Listening to: Giant mixes for the win! I’m been just setting my Apple Music to shuffle a lot lately. Plus I’m loving the new Harry Styles album and My Chemical Romance single.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Blackened Salmon
Tuesday - Chicken Pad Thai Nachos
Wednesday - Crab and Asparagus Soup
Thursday - Salsa Chicken
Friday - Sweet Potato and Quinoa Bowls
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Ring of Fire Chicken

On my to do list: I’ve got a list of random tasks to accomplish this next week, and a lot of it is organizational tasks. Plus I need to work on the retreat and my Indiana trip. Lots of organization and planning.

Happening this week:

Monday - Nothing
Tuesday - Park and splash pad day
Wednesday - Nature hike maybe
Thursday - Lit Society
Friday - Underwater Party at the Library
Saturday - Home day
Sunday - Coop Book Club

What I am creating: I want to take some time and work on the retreat name tags this week. I’m itching to get back to some of my crafts. I also want to work on my April and May Memory Planner pages.

My simple pleasures: Iced coffee, park time with friends, being home after a trip

Looking around the house: J and I have been doing various cleaning and organization projects and I’ve seen a ton of improvement. Surfaces are being cleared off and cleaned. I love it! I did a power clean of the master bathroom this morning and it’s looking so good. I completely cleared off the counter and redid the closet.

From the camera: Quentin and a friend during our Sonic date.

Awakened by Linsey Hall

Title: Awakened (The Shadow Guild: Hades and Persephone #2)

Author: Linsey Hall

Publisher: Bonnie Doon Press 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 226

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

I'm going back to hell, and Hades awaits...

Two weeks ago, I escaped Hades fortress. He might not admit it, but we’re on opposite sides of a war. He wants to spread eternal darkness; I want to stop him.

To succeed, I must master my magic before it destroys me. But Hades still thinks he can seduce me to the dark side. I let him think he’s right, because he’s the only one who can teach me how to use my magic.

But this practice requires that we touch, and once we do, our connection is impossible to resist. Soon, I’m torn between my goals and Hades. If I can’t resist his darkness that calls so sweetly, we’re all doomed.

I’m still really enjoying this trilogy based on the Hades and Persephone myth. This is definitely my fluffy romance pick for the month, but sometimes that’s exactly what I want. I liked how this book really did move the story ahead. We get to Seraphia accept her identity as a goddess and embrace most of her powers. But she also makes a stronger connection to Hades and learns more about his world. The chapters narrated by Hades aren’t quite as exacting but we do get to see some growth of understanding in him. I already have the last book in this series ready and waiting on my Kindle, but it’ll have to wait for my library books that will be due soon. My biggest complaint with this book is that it suffers from not enough Lucifer.

The Shadow Guild: Hades and Persephone

#1 Infernal
#2 Awakened
#3 Captured

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

Title: The Last Cuentista

Author: Donna Barba Higuera

Publisher: Levine Querido 2021

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Había una vez . . .

There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.

But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.

Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard – or purged them altogether.

Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

Ultimately, I really enjoyed the combination of folklore and science fiction to detail Petra’s journey to the new planet. I loved the weaving of cuentas into how Petra sees the world, her past, and her future. I loved exploring more of her heritage. Once we start to piece together what has happened on the ship, the story started to get a bit weaker. I did love Petra’s interactions with the Zetas and Voxy. But, some of the science fiction elements as they relate to the Collective are just not believable even for this avid reader of science fiction. I feel like more time needed to have passed to get the Collective to the start that they were in when Petra awakens. Still, it was an enjoyable YA sci-fi story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

Title: The Night Gardener

Author: Jonathan Auxier

Publisher: Amulet Books 2014

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Pages: 372

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Unread Shelf RC - Because of the Hype

The Night Gardener follows two abandoned Irish siblings who travel to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house. But the house and its family are not quite what they seem. Soon the children are confronted by a mysterious spectre and an ancient curse that threatens their very lives. With Auxier’s exquisite command of language, The Night Gardener is a mesmerizing read and a classic in the making.

Oh this was perfectly creepy for a couple of night’s reading time. I grabbed this one way back in October from my favorite podcast’s (Currently Reading) Indie Press List. I just had to grab all the spooky books and then I let them just hang out on my shelves per usual. I finally picked this on up and sped through it. I loved the creepy setting and storyline involving two orphans, a creepy gardener, a family wasting away, and a wish-granting tree (or is it?). After speeding through and reading the author’s note, I definitely got the influence of Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. Both books had similar autumn creepy vibes. I loved it! Even I was a little spooked when waking up in the middle of the night. I could just imagine the Night Gardener standing over my bed.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Here’s hoping the rain holds off this morning for the coop’s field day. Would be sad to have to reschedule…
Looks like my May read pile is going to end up at 21 books. That’s a lot for one month.
That said, I have so many reads on tap for June. We’ll see how much I get read. I do have the retreat at the end of the month which should push me through a few books.
As for the retreat, I ordered the last of the goodies and I’m so excited about the bookish fun we get to have. Now I need to work on recommendations and games and start buying the grocery list.
I think we are going to continue watching Hawkeye with the kids tonight.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Below Zero (The STEMinist Novellas #3)

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Publisher:

Genre: Romance

Pages: 124

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn…

Hannah’s got a bad feeling about this. Not only has the NASA aerospace engineer found herself injured and stranded at a remote Arctic research station—but the one person willing to undertake the hazardous rescue mission is her longtime rival.

Ian has been many things to Hannah: the villain who tried to veto her expedition and ruin her career, the man who stars in her most deliciously lurid dreams…but he’s never played the hero. So why is he risking everything to be here? And why does his presence seem just as dangerous to her heart as the coming snowstorm?

Meh. I was super excited by the plot of this novella and I jumped at listening to it. Unfortunately, I just didn’t get into this story and in fact it seemed so incredibly similar to the previous two stories. Hannah was not a likable character and I could not really understand her relationship with Ian at all. I was excited by the forced proximity trope, but that didn’t really pan out much at all. I’m really unsure if I will be picking up any future Hazelwood books or stories.

The STEMinist Novellas

Next up on the TBR pile:

The School of Good Mothers by Jessamine Chen

Title: The School for Good Mothers

Author: Jessmine Chan

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 2022

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 1/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Frida Liu is struggling. She doesn’t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parents’ sacrifices. She can’t persuade her husband, Gust, to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress. Only with Harriet, their cherubic daughter, does Frida finally attain the perfection expected of her. Harriet may be all she has, but she is just enough.

Until Frida has a very bad day.

The state has its eyes on mothers like Frida. The ones who check their phones, letting their children get injured on the playground; who let their children walk home alone. Because of one moment of poor judgment, a host of government officials will now determine if Frida is a candidate for a Big Brother-like institution that measures the success or failure of a mother’s devotion.

Faced with the possibility of losing Harriet, Frida must prove that a bad mother can be redeemed. That she can learn to be good.

I absolutely detested this book. We are reading it for book club and I know I am going to rant at the meeting. Overall I had a few big issues with the book:

Who is this book for? I know how much society pressures mothers and then blames them for anything negative that affects children. Fathers are largely absent from this scenario. The book detailed all of that, but was it new information? No. I know exactly how all this works.
No character growth. I was hoping that Frida and many of the other characters would experience some great character growth. Unfortunately we don’t really that growth. Additionally, Frida repeats herself so much. We hear her whine over and over again. The reputation really got to me.
Conflicted feelings about Frida’s socioeconomic status. Frida is struggling financially at the beginning, but she does have access to resources. Most of the women that she meets at the school do not have access to those resources. The cult between those women and Friday wasn’t really explored and glossed over so much.
The school itself is just ridiculous. I understand that speculative fiction likes to exaggerate circumstances to make a point, but the school and specifically the “children” were just too much to be believable. I just couldn’t.
I know we are supposed to be very annoyed by Frida’s ex-husband and I definitely was. But what was his purpose in the book. Every time he was mentioned or appeared, I just shouted “Fuck the Patriarchy.”

Overall, I slogged through this book and immediately felt like I wasted so many reading days. This felt like a very bad copy of The Handmaid’s Tale that just doesn’t live up to the hype. When I add in all the bullshit about restricting the rights of women, I was so incredibly mad at this book.

Next up on the TBR pile: